Pharmaceutical CEO honoured at IoD NI conference
Alan Armstrong OBE, Chair and CEO of the Almac Group, has been given the Chair’s Award of Excellence in Director and Board Practice for 2024.
Mr. Armstrong, who has been Chair and CEO of Almac since 2010, received his award at the IoD NI and AIB Governance and Leadership Summit yesterday (9th October), a new initiative by the Institute of Directors which seeks to bring senior business figures in NI together with thought leaders in the field of ESG, AI and Corporate Governance.
More than 130 delegates gathered at The Merchant Hotel for the summit which welcomed AIB as a headline sponsor and was also supported by Tughans, Ulster University Business School and Belfast Harbour.
Nick Wallis, the award-winning journalist who first unearthed the Post Office Horizon scandal delivered the keynote address and used his remarks to share the important lessons directors from all sectors can learn from mistakes that were made handling this issue.
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Other panel events focused on the importance of Environmental, Social and Governance for SME’s and the impact of Artificial Intelligence on business strategy, ably chaired by conference host John Campbell, Economics and Business Editor at BBC Northern Ireland.
Commenting on Mr. Armstrong’s award, which is the highest accolade awarded by the Institute of Directors in Northern Ireland, Chair of the business organisation, Mr. John Hansen said:
“Excellence was truly the theme of the day as we gathered for our inaugural Governance and Leadership Conference. Throughout the day we heard from a number of leaders who offered thoughtful insights on how strong leadership and good governance will have positive impact on businesses and, of course, how detrimental the absence of these qualities can be. On behalf of the Institute of Directors in Northern Ireland, I’d like to thank each of them for giving up their time to be with us today and to all of our sponsors and associates for their support.
“Presenting Mr. Alan Armstrong OBE with the Chair’s Award for Excellence was a particular highlight of the day. As CEO of one of our most successful indigenous companies, Alan has embodied many of the qualities associated with being an excellent leader and it was an honour to recognise the contribution he has made to Almac and the wider business community here.”
Alan’s successful career has spanned over four decades since he graduated as a member of the Royal Society of Chemistry in 1981. He then joined Galen Research Laboratories where he was made Quality Assurance Manager in 1982.
He held several senior management and technical positions until 1995 when he was appointed to the Board of Directors as Chief Operating Officer before moving to Almac in 2002 as CEO of the pharmaceutical group.
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Alan currently overseas the entire global operations of the group and is responsible for leading its strategic direction. In 2013, he was awarded an OBE by the late Queen for services to the economy of the Northern Ireland.
Collecting his award, Mr. Armstrong OBE said he was “pleased and honoured” to be presented with the Chairs’ award but credited those who he had worked with along the way for their input into his success.
“I am really humbled to have been given this award. I have had a long and varied career, and I think it’s great that the Institute of Directors are recognising the importance of leadership within the local business community.
“It may be my name inscribed on the award, but it truly reflects all the great people I have worked with over the years and the opportunities I was afforded through great leaders and management. This has always been the guiding principle in my own style of leadership, and it is a real honour to be recognised by the IoD for this. I would personally like to dedicate this award to all the people at Almac today.
Reflecting on the conference, Seamus McGuckin, Head of Corporate NI at title sponsor, AIB NI, said:
“At AIB NI we recognise the importance and transformational powers of sound governance, solid leadership, and sustainable practices, so it was a natural fit for us to work with the IoD to deliver this summit.
“Through collaboration we were able to deliver a successful event which I hope delegates found to be useful and thought provoking as they consider their own approach to leadership. As a responsible financial organisation, we want to create a pipeline of talent who can create and sustain better economic opportunities and events like today’s undoubtedly play their part in inspiring current and future leaders., particularly as we all work together to reach net-zero.”
For more information on upcoming IoD events or to learn more about how the organisation supports business leaders, visit www.iod.com/events .
Source: Written from Press release
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